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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/29611842">The Air Chakra</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/seanbw/pseuds/seanbw'>seanbw</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Avatar: The Last Airbender</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Gen, Grief, Hurt, Kataang - Freeform, step-mom</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2021-02-21</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-02-21</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-15 16:47:37</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>2,444</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/29611842</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/seanbw/pseuds/seanbw</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Katara is having trouble coming to terms with her mother's death and Hakoda's newfound love. Her favourite airbender always knows how to make her feel better.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Aang &amp; Hakoda (Avatar), Aang &amp; Malina, Aang/Katara (Avatar), Hakoda &amp; Katara (Avatar), Hakoda/Malina (Avatar), Katara &amp; Malina (Avatar)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>14</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Collections:</b></td><td>Kataang Discord Collection</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>The Air Chakra</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Set during the North and South comics. Katara confronts her father about his relationship with Malina</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Hakoda, Aang and Katara left Master Pakku's school to return to Hakoda's hut after their morning walk. Upon arriving at his home, the trio found Malina waiting for them... well, for Hakoda. She was still pleasantly surprised to see the other two enter as well, however, despite Katara's remarks the previous night.</p><p>"Malina!" Hakoda and Katara simultaneously remarked, Hakoda's tone slightly more excited than Katara's disapproving one.</p><p>	Aang grimaced at Katara's tone, confused as to what had caused her irritation, but stepped in as a buffer anyways to prevent further conflict. "Hi, I'm Aang. Katara's boyfriend" he introduced himself, smilling and bowing.</p><p>	"Avatar Aang! It's an honour to meet you, finally." Malina turned to Katara. "You didn't tell me you were the Avatar's girlfriend!." She tried to sound excited, to hide the sadness she felt at Hakoda's daughter's disapproval.</p><p>	"He's not just the Avatar." Katara snapped back.</p><p>	Everyone looked back at Katara, concerned and in shock. Hakoda had thought he had gotten through to his daughter during their conversation, but clearly, something was still upsetting her. "Right..." Hakoda said before the argument could develop. "I'll go get lunch started then. Care to join me, Katara?"</p><p>	"Alright, dad." They both walked off into the kitchen to cook, leaving Malina and Aang in an uncomfortable silence.</p><p>	Aang was the first to break it. "So, how do you know Head Chief Hakoda?" he asked, quirking an eyebrow.</p><p>	"Oh! I... uh... I'm working with him on the reconstruction project, as you've probably already heard. I'm, uh, also Hakoda's girlfriend" came Malina's unconfident reply. She was worried Aang would react as poorly as Katara had, and that she would have to deal with another person being angry with her. She had heard rumours of Avatar Aang's kindness and generosity, but her confrontations with Katara had worried the woman that she may be intruding in this family.</p><p>	"Ah... okay. That makes sense. Congratulations?" </p><p>	It was a very awkard situation and Malina was confused now. She had almost expected an angry reaction, but what she had gotten was neither good nor bad. She didn't know what to expect. "Oh. Thank you, Avatar... Are you angry?" She had hoped this conversation would happen under friendlier circumstances.</p><p>	"...No? It's not my place to be, even if I was." Aang pondered. "Is this about Katara?"</p><p>	The woman nodded slowly, biting her upper lip in anxiety. She desperately wished for Hakoda's children to like her. She knew she would never be a replacement, but loving her boyfriend meant doing her best to make his children happy too. Even if they were world-renowned war heroes. If only Katara could see the truth to her intentions.</p><p>	An understanding look crept through Aang's expression. "She'll come around. It took her a while to trust Zuko, too, in the beginning. Way before the war's end. I think she just sees you as someone like Maliq, trying to take away her identity. It'll take time for her to heal. And besides, you wouldn't still be here if I didn't trust you." Aang chuckled a little at the end. He hadn't meant to sound threatening, he meant it to mean that most people appreaciated her efforts to rebuild the south in a southern way, rather than as a colony. Katara would just take a bit more convincing. He knew her plight better than others, having been to the Northern Air Temple and Cranefish Town. Since the war's beginning, they had been occupied and changed beyond belief, some in worse ways than he could imagine. The city was simply changing too fast for her liking and it felt as if her home had been changed beyond recognition. It didn't feel like home anymore.</p><p>	"From the way she talks to me, I wouldn't hold out hope..."</p><p>	"Heh, she's made threats far worse to Zuko. I think you're in the clear." He smilled comfortingly at her.</p><p>	Their conversation was interrupted by the loud banging of a pot hitting the floor, and Katara shouting, "Don't you think you're being a little naive, Dad?! She's a colonist! Not here to help!" She stormed out of the kitchen, and through the door of the hut refusing to meet anyone's eyes and ignoring shocked gazes of her boyfriend and Malina.</p><p>	Her father called out to her as she left, but to no avail. Sighing he met Malina's eyes and shrugged. He was beat, and had no clue how the hell he was supposed to fix this. He had an inkling that Katara might not take the news well, but even this seemed a little... extreme. It was as if she was nit-picking every little thing to crucify the person he loved. <br/>Sokka had been easier to convince, he had always been more open-minded about these sorts of things. Katara took after her mother, stubborn and righteous. Even if when sometimes she was wrong. He just wished it could've been easier with her. "I'm so sorry you have to deal with this, Malina."</p><p>	"It's okay, Hakoda. I understood that this might happen." She looked at the floor, embarrassed and guilty of the scene she believed she had caused.</p><p>	Aang looked awkwardly between Malina and Hakoda, uncomfortable and unsure of the situation. "Yup, like I said. She'll come around" he said, voice cracking. He left the building to go search for his girlfriend, who was clearly gone by now. 'Shit.' The boy had been looking forward to the trip to the Southern Water Tribe for a weeks now, to finally catch a break from all of the meetings and problem-solving. The workload for the tribe's reconstruction had been low thus far, but the personal issues that arose within Katara's family was going to interfere with the sanctity of their trip. He just wanted to have a good time, and above all, for Katara to enjoy her time here at home. She hardly ever left the airbenders side, knowing just how much he needed her and how much she enjoyed their travels and adventures. Their stay here wouldn't be forever, and he would be damned if he let the trip be marred by family conflict. After all, he was the Avatar, bridging the gaps between warring nations. How hard could the gap between Katara and her family be?</p><p>	His girlfriend was nowhere to be seen around Hakoda's home and the old village, so he decided she had probably headed back towards the appartment Hakoda had given them for the duration of their stay.</p><p>	He walked through the city, politely nodding and waving to those who greeted him, not waiting around long enough for a chat with the locals. He could do that later. Upon arriving home, he found his girlfriend curled up on the couch of the main room, face burried in her knees. Their appartment consisted of two rooms, one main one with a kitchen and resting area and a bedroom. It was of modest size.</p><p>	His heart broke hearing the muffled sounds of her crying. Katara was generally such a strong-willed and hard-shelled person and to see that will and shell broken made Aang himself want to cry. He had only seen her like this on a handfull of occasions. Given the magnitude of the grief and hardships Aang in particular had experienced, it was usually him on the recieving end of Katara's comforting. Now he would repay the favour. Choking back his own tears, he sat down on the couch next to her, and wrapped his arms lovingly around her. She wasted no time burying herself in him, head resting in the crook of his neck.</p><p>	They sat like that for a while, Aang holding his girlfriend tightly against his chest in silence broken only by Katara's sobs. He was afraid to say anything, in case he provoked her or made her feel even worse than she already was. The silence was broken, however, when Katara finally spoke up as her crying subsided. "Doesn't he see that he's just replacing her?" she asked, her voice hoarse and dry.</p><p>	"Replacing your mother?" Aang asked.</p><p>	She nodded in response.</p><p>	'Ah' he thought. It made sense now. Aang was surprised with her unwillingness to forgive and forget Malina's past transgressions as an attempted colonist, especially considering the lesson she'd learned with Zuko. He silently cursed himself for not knowing. Katara was very sensitive about her mother, and although Aang had helped her through a lot of her grief, it seemed Malina had unknowingly reopened the wound that had only recently begun properly healing. "You know it's okay to feel this way, right?"</p><p>	"Of course it is! That's exactly what she is. A replacement. It's not okay." she said exhasperatingly.</p><p>	"Right... I just think you're being a little hard on Malina, sweetie" he said gently.</p><p>	"What?!" If it weren't for her boyfriend's arms warpped around her she would've lept off of the couch. "How could you say that? You're taking their side?" </p><p>	The sound of betrayal in her voice was enough to break him but he maintained his resolve. "I'm not taking a side, Katara. There are none." He pulled her into his chest again. "I understand this better than you think, sweetie."</p><p>	"What, to have a mother replaced?" she scoffed.</p><p>	"No. Do you remember when you first met me? And, in the Southern Air Temple, you called me your family?" he asked. He continued, "I was feeling very guilty for the first couple of months after meeting you guys. Here I was, alive and well, with two new best friends, while the rest of my culture died. I grew to love you all, you, Sokka, Toph, Suki and Zuko, very much. In the beginning, I would've given anything to go back in time a century, to see them again. But overtime I found that I wouldn't give up any of you for that chance. You mean so much to me, sweetie. All of you. I was guilty because it felt as if I was merely filling a void. Do you follow?"</p><p>	"Aang..." she breathed. "I do" she replied, calmer now and her interest piqued.</p><p>	"Well, when I went to the Eastern Air Temple to learn from Guru Pathik how to control the Avatar state, he taught me about chakras. You know about them?"<br/>	"I learned a little about them and chi paths during my healing lessons."</p><p>	"For the Avatar, keeping the chakras unblocked is essential to keeping control over the Avatar state. You gotta have a peaceful and balanced mind, otherwise your emotions control you and your power. But it can also be useful for keeping mentally healthy. The fourth chakra, the air chakra, deals with love, and is blocked by grief. I think it was safe to assume my air chakra was very badly clogged. But the guru pointed out, that the love I had for the air nomad's isn't lost, it was simply reborn into new love. The vision it gave me was an image of you." He looked his girlfriend in her eyes.</p><p>	"Aang..." she repeated, tears of happiness forming in her eyes. "That's so sweet..."</p><p>	He kissed the top of her head. "I like to think its the same for your father. You and Sokka told me about how he handled your mother's death. For the longest time, his air chakra was blocked. The love he had for his wife had nowhere to go. With Malina, he allowed himself to love and be loved again, unblocking it. I don't think of Malina as a replacement, but rather a new addition to your family. She never could replace your mother, and she knows that." He paused. "I think opening your air chakra could really help you, you know. Let the love you had for your mother be reborn."</p><p>	She sighed. "I suppose you're right... You're really good at this, Aang" she chuckled.</p><p>	"Well, despite being fourteen, I do have a lot of experience in this area. Glad I could make you feel better."</p><p>	"It's just that... spirits, I've been so terrible to her. How can she... or my dad ever forgive me after what I said?" she asked, sighing loudly before burying herself in Aang's arms again.</p><p>	"Remember what I said, sweetie. It's normal to feel like this. Maybe before we go to the conference this evening, we can go speak with your dad. Malina, too, if she's there" he said, smilling down at her.</p><p>	"Yeah... yeah, that does sound good, sweetie."</p><p>	They sat there like that for another while, this time in comforting silence, taking solace in each others arms. Until Aang spoke up, "You know, the conference isn't until this evening... we could... head to the bedroom..." he smiled knowingly at his girlfriend.</p><p>	"You really do know how to make a girl feel better" she replied seductively.</p><p>	Aang's grin grew wider. "Let's go!" And so the lovers spent the rest of their afternoon together.</p><p>	They later left the house, hand in hand, Katara smiling for the first time since she had found out about her father's relationship, and Aang feeling extremely pleased with himself for managing to comfort Katara.</p><p>	"Thanks for coming after me back there, sweetie." Katara said.</p><p>	"What, was I going to just wait around knowing you were upset?"</p><p>	She laughed, "Fair point."</p><p>	"I love you."</p><p>	"Love you, too, Aang." They walked the rest of the way to the City Hall in content silence.</p><p>	They were greeted formally by Hakoda, "Master Katara and Avatar Aang! Welcome." The strain in his voice did not go unnoticed by his daughter, who was now silently cursing herself for causing this.</p><p>	"Listen, dad" Katara began. "I wanted to apologise for my behaviour before. I was being irrational, I should've at least given Malina a chance."<br/>	He eyed Aang, he had a feeling it was some of his doing. "Katara, it's-</p><p>	"No, dad. I'm sorry. You have nothing to apologise for. Aang gave me some really good advice, and I think it would be best if I got to know Malina a little."</p><p>	He grinned at his daughter, causing her to return his smile. Pulling his daughter into an embrace, he laughed a little, happy to at least have her approval. It meant a lot to him. He looked over Katara into Aang's eyes, mouthing a 'thank you'. Hakoda had always approved of their relationship, he knew Aang was perfect for his daughter and would do anything to help her, but he had never really gotten to know the boy. And in that moment he could not have been more thankful to have Aang in his daughter's life. In their lives. Aang smiled back at him, before joining in on the hug. 'I've got an amazing family' Hakoda thought</p>
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